Dengue outbreak strikes Doon

A sudden outbreak of dengue fever has struck Dehradun valley, putting a halt to several school trips to Dehradun over the next week.

On Sep. 26, the school received an email from Mr. Ethan vanDrunen, Vice Principal, regarding the immediate cancellation of events such as the district basketball tournaments, the climate strike, and the Activity Week gear sale, all happening in Dehradun over the coming week.

Several trips to other cities had also been put on hold and went under risk evaluation, such as the basketball trip to Mumbai.

The news of the outbreak caused shock amongst staff and students, many of whom were completely unaware of it.

Mannat Singh, Class of 2021, said, “I knew dengue was common in warm places around India, but I had no idea the situation in Dehradun was so severe.”

Many athletes were very disappointed about the cancellations.

“Districts is the only tournament where all 12 Win Mumby players get to play together. It’s really disappointing because Win Mumby is almost here, and this tournament is meant to help us prepare,” Jigme Dorjee, Class of 2022, also a senior team basketball player, said.

However, with 85 fresh cases of dengue reported last Wednesday and six dengue-related deaths, the administration believed it was necessary to take urgent action.

When asked about the severity of the issue, Mr. vanDrunen said, “When a student or staff member travels from Mussoorie to an area where there is a known risk of a mosquito-borne disease, we must first do a risk assessment – weighing the educational or practical benefits of the trip against the risk of contracting a disease.”

Updates from the administration confirmed the basketball trip to Mumbai and the football trip to Kodaikanal will go as planned. But these groups are required to take several precautions, such as dressing in full-sleeve clothing, using mosquito repellent, and keeping the windows shut.

Cases of dengue have continued to surge in Uttarakhand, with a total of 3,799 reported cases as of now. The situation is expected to worsen as the post-monsoon weather continues until mid-October.

Fortunately, there is no known risk of contracting dengue while remaining in Mussoorie.

Aadya Aryal is a staff reporter 

Edited by Archita Aggarwal

Featured image from The Times Of India